Gelatin Characteristics

Gelatin Characteristics

Gelatin is an important gelling agent. Its gel strength is measured by a unique unit called “Bloom Strength”. Bloom strength is defined as the weight required to push a specific cylinder plunger 4mm into a gel made of 6 2/3% gelatin dissolved in water and held at 10 degrees Celsius for 16-18 hours. The gel strength is measured on a texture analyzer.

More on the characteristics of Gelatin

Another important characteristic of gelatin is viscosity. It plays an important role in applications such as confection gummies, marshmallows, and soft or hard shell capsules. Gelatin is available in a wide range of viscosities.

Gelatin is also unique due to its thermo-reversible property. This property allows gelatin to form a gel when cooled and return to a solution when heated. This attribute can be repeated. The melting point of gelatin is close to body temperature, which explains the melt-in-your-mouth characteristic of applications such as gelatin desserts.